What is BRAC?

BRAC is an acronym that stands for Base Realignment and Closure. It is the congressionally authorized process DoD has previously used to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business.

The Congress established the 2005 BRAC Commission to ensure the integrity of the base closure and realignment process. As directed by law, the Commission will provide an objective, nonpartisan, and independent review and analysis of the list of military installation recommendations issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) on May 13, 2005. The recommendations provided by DoD are extremely complex and interrelated and will require indepth analysis and careful attention to detail. The Commission will follow a fair, open, and equitable process, as set forth by statute. The Commission's mission is to assess whether the DoD recommendations substantially deviated from the Congressional criteria used to evaluate each military base. While giving priority to the criteria of military value, the Commission will also take into account the human impact of the base closures and will consider the possible economic, environmental, and other effects on the surrounding communities.

How did BRAC affect Fort Lee?

The BRAC Commission's recommendations realign Fort Lee by relocating specified organizations and activities to the post. The BRAC Commission made six recommendations concerning Fort Lee. To enable implementation of the recommendations, the Army proposes to provide necessary facilities at Fort Lee to support the relocations. The BRAC Commission found the capacity of Fort Lee sufficient to meet the new training requirements, except for insufficient land and space available to conduct major field training exercises (FTX), to include the Warrior Training FTX. The Army proposes to use Fort A.P. Hill to conduct FTX and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training, on the basis of its proximity to Fort Lee, its suitable lands, and its schedule availability.

The BRAC Commission made six recommendations concerning Fort Lee, which would be implemented under the proposed action as follows.

1. Establish a Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCOE) at Fort Lee. Activities that would relocate to Fort Lee and be incorporated into the SCOE are portions of the Transportation Center and School from Fort Eustis, Virginia; the Ordnance Maintenance Mechanical School of the Ordnance Center and School from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; and the Ordnance Munitions and Electronics Maintenance School (OMEMS) of the Missile and Munitions Center from Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The Transportation Center and School and the Ordnance Center and School would be consolidated with the Quartermaster Center & School, the Army Logistics Management College, and the Combined Arms Support Command to form the SCOE.
2. Establish a Joint Center for Consolidated Transportation Management Training. Transportation Management Training from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, would relocate to Fort Lee, Virginia, to accomplish this.
3. Establish a Joint Center of Excellence for Culinary Training. Culinary Training from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas and USN Great Lakes Training Center, Illinois, would relocate to Fort Lee.
4. Co-locate Miscellaneous Department of Defense Agency, and Field Activity Leased Locations. Close Metro Park III and IV, a leased installation in Alexandria, Virginia, by relocating the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) Headquarters to Fort Lee, Virginia.
5. Relocate all components of the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to Fort Lee. Defense Commissary Agency Eastern, Midwestern Regional, and Hopewell, Virginia, Offices would be consolidated at Fort Lee. Leased facilities in San Antonio, Texas; Hopewell, Virginia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia, would be closed.
6. In addition to the five actions above, through which Fort Lee would gain functions, facilities, and personnel, the BRAC Commission recommended the creation of a Joint Mobilization Site that would result in a loss at Fort Lee. Under this recommendation, all mobilization processing functions at Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Eustis, Virginia; and Fort Jackson, South Carolina would be relocated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Bragg would be designated Joint Pre- Deployment/Mobilization Site Bragg/Pope.

Fort Lee's military and civilian population consists of two major categories of personnel: student soldiers attending professional schools and permanent party personnel. Following implementation of the proposed action, Fort Lee's average daily population would nearly double.